Alzheimer's disease is a major health problem and the leading cause of dementia in the Americas and Europe. Although there has been little work done on dementia in the Middle East, there is evidence-from our studies in Arabs residing in Israel-that Alzheimer's disease has a high prevalence in Arabs (20% over 60, 60% over 85 years of age). This high prevalence is over three times higher than in other populations, even after correcting for the effects of age, gender and education. This is an important issue because of the progressive aging of the population of the Middle East as we enter the 21st century. Public awareness of dementia in the Middle East is low, and in many cases does not receive medical attention. The goals of this Symposium are to focus attention on neurodegenerative disorders of the aged in the Middle East, to raise scientific, medical and social awareness of these disorders, and to enhance communication between Arab and Jewish medical and scientific personnel. It is anticipated that the meeting will lead to other studies in Middle East populations, an area with unique features valuable for research, including a high rate of consanguinity, high fat diet, and smoking. A target audience of clinicians, scientists, nurses, social workers, government representatives and other agencies, pharmaceutical and other biotechnology companies will attend the meeting to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, October 1-2, 2005. The meeting will be a satellite to the 21st International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International. Attendees will be from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, and other Arab states, as well as from Israel, Europe, and North America. Topics to be covered include dementia, basic science, diagnoses, history, management and treatment, and ethics, with consideration of the unique cultural traditions of Arab and Jewish populations.